A Last Hope
by Inanis Incedeco
Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... A Republic is shattered, a Jedi falls, a Sith Lord rises. A life is broken.
1. Prologue

A long time ago,  
in a galaxy far, far away...

 **Star Wars  
Knights of The Old Republic**

Four thousand years before the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Republic verges on collapse. DARTH MALAK, last surviving apprentice of the DARK LORD REVAN, has unleashed an invincible Sith armada upon an unsuspecting republic, slaughtering all in his path.

Crushing all resistance, Malak's war of conquest has left the Jedi Order scattered and vulnerable as countless Knights fall in battle, and many more swear allegiance to the new Sith Master.

On the Outer Rim Planet of Felucia, a Republic captain by the name of SHAY MCKENDRICK engages the forces of Darth Malak in a desperate effort to halt the Sith's galactic domination…

PAN DOWN:

 **EXT – OUTER SPACE  
** The camera pans down to reveal an ongoing massive space battle. Cannons fire and blast, fighters form up into squadrons, making strafing runs on the starships. The sith ships block out a green planet, blockading it, and the Republic warships move forward.

 **INT – REPUBLIC WARSHIP  
** We zoom to a man sitting in a captain's chair, sitting forward and intent on the battle. He has dark brown hair and a goatee, wearing a flight suit.

[Woman's Voice, offscreen]  
Taking heavy fire, sir.

[Pilot that the camera has focused on, Carth Onasi]  
Divert all power from auxilary systems to shields and forward cannons. Kill the engines.

[Woman's Voice]  
Yessir. **A beat passes** Sir, we have a Sith Man O' War ship directly ahead.

Carth bites his lower lip, then nods.

[Carth]  
Focus fire on it. Kill all nonessential systems, send the spare power to the cannons. We kill it before it kills us.

 **EXT – OUTER SPACE  
** We see a massive explosion, consuming a republic frigate in a ball of fire, with shrapnel and scrap metal flying everywhere.

 **INT – REPUBLIC WARSHIP  
** The whole crew ducks their heads down.

[Crewmember #1]  
DAMNIT!

[Crewmember #2]  
Was that one of ours?!

[Crewmember #3]  
That was Hammerhead! Repeat, we lost Hammerhead!

Carth puts a hand over his eyes, giving a heavy sigh and nods.

[Carth]  
That's their planetary cannon. Divert power back to engines and get us moving. If we keep ourselves a moving target, they'll have a harder time of hitting us.

[Female Voice]  
Aye aye.

[Carth]  
We can't do anything about that cannon, but we have to take out that Man O' War before it takes us out. Just pray that the ground forces can take out that cannon before it tears apart the entire fleet.

 **EXT – FELUCIA SURFACE – DAY**

The planet is an overgrown jungle, filled with bizarre and alien plants, fungi and animals, some of which look almost like rubber. Far removed from our world. As the sun shines down upon the battlefield, the plants look like glass.

Establishing shot of a massive, raging battle. Soldiers on both sides are falling every moment, screams of courage and terror are the only things louder than the gunfire. Soldiers are pinned by machine gun fire, Jedi are fighting desperately through waves of enemies only to be cut down, artillery and mortar fire are raining down upon republic troops. Acklays from the natural land come down upon the soldiers, ripping apart their line only to be brought down by rockets. An all-around hell.

The pan has brought into frame a Republic Soldier with lip scars and blood on his uniform in the midst of a heated firefight. Bullets rip through the soldier in front of him, as several Imperial Troops fall before him. Suddenly, a machine gun nest cuts through both the sith and soldiers in front of him a bullet grazing his side. He dives into the mud.

[The Soldier, Shay]  
MG! Get down!

The soldiers behind him dive down and survive because of his warning. Shay rolls onto his back and pulls the pin on a grenade laying on his belt, waiting a second before throwing it. It explodes into a screen of smoke, and MG fire ceases while they wait on it. He sprints around them, ducking through the foliage to get a better view point. The MG team doesn't see him. He opens fire, killing the gunner and suppressing the other two men on the team. One of the soldiers that was behind him takes aim, the smoke now dispersing, and fires a rocket launcher right into the nest, taking them all out.

[Shay, moving up and clutching his wound]  
Come on, lads. Let's go, let's go!

The soldiers jog to catch up to him, following close and reloading their weapons. Rocket launcher guy reloads his launcher before shouldering it, reaching for his rifle.

The camera pans up. You see what their objective is: a massive, ancient, slightly overgrown fortress, teeming with Imperial Soldiers. A massive Anti-Air cannon juts out of the fortress and into the air, firing briefly, the whole earth shaking under the sheer force.

They cut their way through another few Imperials, taking over a bunker located just outside of the castle. They put three rectangular shaped objects on the wall of the castle before retreating into the bunker. Shay reaches for his communicator, some of his men sit on the floor of the bunker while others keep watch.

[Shay, on his communicator]  
Command, this is Captain McKendrick. Epsilon squad is in position and ready to commence with the assault at your signal.

[Voice on the radio]  
Understood, Captain. Stand by for our signal, the other squads need to get into position.

[Shay]  
Understood. **(Pause)** Permission to speak freely sir?

[Voice]  
Granted.

[Shay]  
 **(Sadly)** I… we've lost too many good men in this assault. Make it count.

[Voice]  
Understood, captain. We'll drive them out of here.

Shay turns back to his men. They are scared, fiddling with their riles, wiping mud from their uniforms, with one man even having his head hung in his hands.

[Shay]  
Stay sharp. I don't want the Sith to catch us off balance, and we have to be ready to begin the assault at any moment.

The men nod, getting to it. They look down, worn, broken. Dirt and mud cover their uniforms. The man with his head in his hands looks up, but doesn't stand.

[Suicidal Marine]  
We're not really going to try and take them all on, are we?

Shay looks at him, and closes his eyes a moment, thinking deeply. He is in pain. He's seen too many people get killed, too many good men get buried, and there's a good chance that they're not going home.

[Shay]  
Orders are orders. Those cannons are blasting our blockade runners out of the sky. If we can't get them out of commission, we'll never get supplies through… or get the wounded out.

The marine stands, looking terrified, shaking, and faces off against Shay. His eyes are red and swollen.

[S.M]  
We can't possibly take this position, captain! The republic sent an entire legion down here just three months ago, a whole 5,000, and I'd be surprised if we had 500 left anymore. We don't have the kind of manpower to take this kind of fortress.

Shay holds up a hand.

[Shay]  
Settle down there, soldier. It's all going to be okay. Think about it this way: If we can capture those cannons, we can use them to smash their blockade, and then we'll have an easy way off this planet.

[S.M]  
 **Gives out a sigh**. Captain, I have nothing but respect for you. You've saved all of our backs a hundred times over, and without you we'd all have been killed within the first week. But this plan is suicide, we'll all be massacred if we go in there. We should look for another way out of here, a spaceport, a weak spot in their blockade… something, and let them have this damned planet.

[Shay]  
There isn't going to be another way out of here, unless you're intent on leaving in a body bag. Those republic starships? The ones that are getting tossed about in the battle above us? Those are the only people that know we're here, the only people who care. They lose, get blown up? You're going to have to live the rest of your life on this hellhole. And I don't think that life will be terribly long, either.

The marine sighs again, and nods with a resigned look. He's going to die, one way or another, and he knows it.

[S.M]  
As you say, sir. We'll follow you to the end.

He turns away, but is stopped by Shay's hand on his shoulder, turning him back.

[Shay]  
Hey, hey. If we lose the will to win, we've already lost. I know how hard it is. Trust me, I know. The last few months here on Felucia have taken their toll, on all of us. We've gone days without eating or sleeping... Every single night we've laid in a filthy foxhole, prayin' the enemy won't slit our throats while we sleep. Every day we spent crawling through the mud and the dirt while plasma whistled all around. But this? This is different We take those cannons, we rip through their warships, and the Republic can pull us out. We take this point, we get out of here. But I need you to do this with me.

Shay holds the marine's gaze for a few tense seconds, and then the marine nods. He trusts Shay wholeheartedly, and there's no one in the galaxy he would rather follow to war. Shay is a natural leader, and his men know that following him is the only way to survive this.

 **EXT – OUTER SPACE  
** Fighters fly by the Man O' War Warship, only to be cut down by laser guns. We see the cannons of the warship, and see the sheer force behind them as they fire.

Camera cuts behind a republic frigate, and you see the sheer power of those cannons on the frigate where they hit on the port side. Metal and hull is sheered off, cannons are engulfed in a ball of fire. The ship starts to tip in the port side where it was hit, and it begins to fall out of orbit.

 **INT – REPUBLIC WARSHIP  
** There's chaos on the bridge, people are shouting and running frantically, people desperately pulling and pushing at various controls as they engage in this fierce battle against the Man O' War. A fire burns on the side of the bridge.

[Crewmember #1]  
The _Charity_ is falling out of orbit! We lost our frigate!

[Crewmember #2]  
Engine number 3 is a ball of fire! Shut it down!

[Crewmember #3]  
I'm trying! Controls are shot to hell!

[Crewmember #4]  
Still no contact from Blue Squadron. We lost them.

[Crewmember #5]  
Primary Life Support failing, switching to auxiliary. **Motions over shoulder** Someone get that fire out!

[Carth]  
Keep us strafing, get out of their way. Deploy bombers to their short range sensors. We might be able to buy ourselves some time if we can blind them.

[Female Voice]  
At once.

Carth rubs his eyes.

[Carth]  
Come on, come on. Not here, not today.

 **EXT – FELUCIA SURFACE – DAY** The camera is on the inside of the Sith Fortress, focusing in particular on one segment of wall. A moment later, it explodes in a shower of concrete and fire. Several guards move to investigate, and are caught off balance by something throw through the smoke. Before they can dodge, the grenade explodes, consuming them all in it's path.

Through the smoke, Shay and his squadmates approach, rifles in hands.

[Shay]  
Get to those MG nests! If we take them out, reinforcements can get through!

Sith droids and soldiers move to engage them. Rocket launcher dude blasts through the wave of droids and Shay throws a grenade before sprinting up the stairs.

We cut to a line of Republic soldiers, pinned down by machine gun fire. One sticks his head up a moment only to be cut down. Soldiers are stuck to the ground by the fire, faces forced into the mud. The camera focuses on a woman behind cover, with dark hair up in a ponytail and dark green Jedi Robes: Bastila Shan.

Very suddenly, the machine gun fire stops. Bastila holds up a communicator which crackles to life.

[Shay, on communicator]  
This is Captain McKendrick. The Sith's MG nests are out of commission, all units move up. Quickly!

Bastila nods and ignites her double-bladed yellow lightsaber. She vaults over her cover and goes sprinting through the enemy lines, her lightsaber movements smooth and elegant, carving a path through their soldiers, never slowing her sprint.

Cut back to Shay's team, focusing in on the SM that he comforted earlier, mopping up remnants of the Sith forces. A sharp hiss comes from behind him, and he looks to it, his expression faltering immediately.

[S.M]  
Oh… shit.

The camera cuts, and reveals five Sith standing behind him. They all wear black robes and have blood red lightsabers. One has a double lightsaber, one has a lightsaber in either hand, and the others all have one each.

SM lifts his rifle desperately and opens fire, each of the shots being blocked and one is then reflected, striking him in the chest, making him drop his rifle and fall in pain, rolling onto his side. One of the single lightsaber Sith approaches, smiling a little. SM crawls for his rifle, only for the Sith to kick it out of his way.

[Sith]  
Cute. It thought it could hurt us. **Turns on his Lightsaber** This is what a real weapon looks like, _cur_. Beg, and you might feel it rather than more pain.

He steps forward, holding his lightsaber over SM menacingly. Before he can bring it down, a form tackles him to the ground. It's Shay, jamming his pistol into the Sith's chest and firing repeatedly into his chest. Getting up, he fires several shots at the other Sith until he's choked by the double-bladed lightsaber Sith, gasping for breath. The Sith goes over to the now death Sith, kicking at his robes, seeing him not moving.

[Sith #2]  
Huh. Didn't think any of you soldier dogs could bring down one of us. **Turns to Shay** Sith respect power. If you want to tell me any last request… **Turns on his lightsaber** I'll make sure it gets done.

[Shay, still being choked]  
L-l… ook… look me in the eyes… before you… finish it…

The Sith shrugs and approaches him, releasing the force choke to choke him personally, lifting him off the ground with his spare hand.

[Sith #2]  
Very well. Let me be the last thing that you see, then.

Their eyes meet for a moment, Shay's dark brown meeting with the Sith's yellow. The Sith lifts his lightsaber to finish it, but Shay rips a knife from his belt and stabs him in the throat before he can. The Sith releases him, falling to the ground and grasping at the wound. He too dies at Shay's hand.

Shay is now on his hands and knees, gasping for air, and one of the remaining Sith electrocutes him. He screams in pain, and soon falls to the ground, smouldering. The third Sith goes running up to Shay, bringing down his lightsaber.

Before it makes contact with Shay, a yellow lightsaber stops it in it's path. Bastila stands there, having slid into position just in time to save him. The Sith looks over, bewildered, but she moves quickly and cuts him down before he can react. Now only one single saber and the one with two sabers remain. Realizing what they're up against, they leap into action.

The single-saber one does a reasonable job against Bastila, but it's clear that she's the better fighter. Conversely, the two-saber one does much better, meeting her as an equal in his neverending flurry of blades. The two of them are quite evenly matched and, if not for her double-saber, she would meet her end quite quickly under the three lightsabers arrayed against her. Still, her graceful and smooth movements that flow into one another make her an elegant and deadly warrior, able to stand against everything they can throw at her.

Soon enough, she brings down the single-saber one, slamming the hilt of her lightsaber into his face to stun him before stabbing him through the chest. But in doing so, she leaves herself vulnerable to the other, who unleashing a massive field of Force Lightning onto her (Sacrificed his comrade to gain the upper hand?)

Fighting through the pain, Bastila continues fighting, but is clearly losing now. He's as good as ever, unleashing a smooth and angry flurry of neverending strikes at her, but she's badly hurt and tired, unable to keep up.

Shay, still smouldering and hurt, blinks through the blurry pain, and sees Bastila fighting for her life. Groaning in agony, he rolls over and crawls for his pistol. Bastila continues fighting, but is being pressed up against a wall, and won't be able to keep up for long.

Shay aims his pistol, and fires, hitting the Sith in the back. He starts and shouts, dropping his guard a moment. Using the opportunity, Bastila cuts him down, then falling to her knees, gasping for breath. Several soldiers approach, some going over to Bastila, and others helping Shay and SM.

[Soldier]  
Sir, we've taken the fortress. Their AA gun is silenced.

[Shay, gasping through blood]  
Then get someone on it, use it to help our boys in orbit.

[Solder]  
At once, sir. **Salutes and heads off**

Other soldiers start tending to Shay's wounds and he collapses.

 **EXT – OUTER SPACE  
** We see the Sith Man O' War engaging the Republic Warship, cannons clashing and blasting. Their cannons break through the shields of the Warship, blowing through the hull and sending scraps of metal flying. It's close to ending, here.

Just then, a massive shot takes the Man O' War off guard, smashing through the shield and blasting the hull, destroying all in it's path. The ground forces have pulled through.

 **INT – REPUBLIC WARSHIP**

Carth looks up in amazement, standing a little.

[Crew member #1]  
What was that?!

[Crew member #2]  
That came from the planet!

[Crew member #3]  
They pulled through! Ground team pulled through!

[Carth]  
Divert all power to forward cannons! Open fire and rip them apart!

[Female voice]  
With pleasure, sir.

 **EXT – OUTER SPACE  
** More shots come from the planet, ripping apart the Man O' War, and the Warship's guns roar to life. The Man O' War starts to go down, and is soon falling out of orbit and into the planet. The Warship continues firing even as it goes down, smashing the ship into pieces.

 **INT – REPUBLIC WARSHIP  
** [Crew]  
 **Universal cheering**

[Crew member #1]  
We did it! Down they go!

[Crew member #2]  
Yeah! That's how we do it!

[Carth]  
 **Smiling** Divert power to engines. Let's get out boys out of there.

[Female Voice]  
At once. Let's get them home.

 **EXT – FELUCIA SURFACE – DAY  
** Shay is sitting against a wall. He's hurt and clutching his side, but awake and very much alive. Beside him sits the wounded SM.

[S.M]  
I'm sorry I doubted you, Captain. Without you, we'd have never made it out of here with our sanity… or our lives. You… you saved our lives, you did. Again and again. A dozen… no, a hundred times over.

[Shay]  
That's not necessary, soldier. I know how hard it gets. Trust me. We all made mistakes, get scared. It's part of the job. Just try not to lose your head next time, and it's all good. Understood?

He nods, and smiles at Shay. Bastila approaches after a moment.

[Bastila]  
 **Looking at SM** Excuse me, may I speak to your captain in private for a moment?

[S.M]  
Of course, of course. **He stands and salutes, Bastila taking his place on the floor**

[Bastila]  
I wanted to praise you, captain. You did an exceedingly good job today, and saved many lives with your actions.

Shay smiles and shakes his head.

[Shay]  
It's not a big deal. All a part of the job.

[Bastila]  
Humility is good, but you deserved a moment of pride for your actions. You saved many lives down there, my own included.

[Shay]  
 **Smiles** And here I thought you Jedi hated pride?

[Bastila]  
Moments of pride can be a benefit, so long as they do not linger.

[Shay]  
Well, thank you, General…

[Bastila]  
Bastila. Bastila Shan.

[Shay]  
Shan? Huh. I didn't know I was fighting with a legend, let alone getting praised by one.

[Bastila]  
Oh, please. I am hardly a legend. And what is your name? I caught your rank, but not the name.

[Shay]  
Captain Shay McKendrick, at your service.

[Bastila]  
 **Surprised** McKendrick? I… had heard of you before, didn't know you were serving here.

[Shay]  
They're hearing about me all the way up at the top? Huh, guess I'm doing something right. Well, yeah, got sent here with the rest of the Corps.

A beat of silence.

[Bastila]

Listen, I'm being redeployed to be the captain of a republic Warship, by the name of the Endar Spire. I would feel more comfortable if someone like you were on board with me. Someone who's skills I've seen first-hand, someone who can lead soldiers and fight well. If you're interested...

[Shay]  
A Warship, huh? Quite the promotion there. Well, it'll be hard to say goodbye to the boys down here, but that's a hard offer to turn down, and the situation is pretty handled here now that the Blockade Fleet is gone. Let me say my goodbyes, and then I'd be more than willing to come with you.

[Bastila]  
 **Smiles just a little** Wonderful. That's a great reassurance, Captain.

[Shay]  
Please, just Shay.

[Bastila]  
Shay it is, then. If you would call me Bastila.

[Shay]  
It's a deal.


	2. Downfall

**EXT – Space Above** **Coruscant**

Camera is above the planet, seeing the rings of life and fire on the planet.

Cut to an office on the surface, where two republic soldiers sit above a computer console.

[Officer #1]  
Big energy signature coming out of hyperspace. Cruiser from the looks of it.

[Officer #2]  
Busy day today. (Turns on communicator) Incoming traffic, this is ground control. Please identify yourself and your destination. (A beat passes) Traffic, please identify yourself and your destination.

[Officer #1]  
More coming out of hyperspace, now. Looks like a whole caravan's come out here.

[Officer #2]  
(Speaking slowly and enunciating clearly) Traffic, this is ground control of Coruscant. Please identify yourselves, and your destination. You cannot land without talking to us.

Out from the skies of Coruscant, a massive sith Man O' War drops from Hyperspeed, blocking out the sun itself. An entire fleet of a dozen Warships soon follows.

 **EXT – Outside Coruscant's Jedi Temple  
** A hooded figure approaches the Temple. Several guards stop him, holding up their hands. They aren't holding up their rifles, as they don't realize the danger.

[Guard]  
Sorry sir, the Jedi Temple is unable to handle any visitors today. I'm afraid that all non-jedi are to be turned away until further notice. I'm sorry for any-

He is cut off. The camera focuses in on the hooded figure, and behind him the Man O' War can be seen dropping out of Hyperspace, blocking the sun. The rest of the fleet follows, and the camera pans slowly down so we can see the figure inside of the hood. He's a pale man with black marks on his face and yellow eyes.

Camera cuts to black, and we hear a lightsaber ignite, followed by two screams.

 **INT – Inside the Jedi Temple  
** Hearing the noise, several Jedi move cautiously towards the entrance. Sure enough, it's thrown open by the hooded figure, his red lightsaber burning bright in the darkness of the temple. All of the Jedi switch on their lightsabers, various colours of Green, Yellow and Blue. He's very obviously outnumbered.

The figure stops in his tracks, holding his lightsaber to his side. He doesn't look battleready, as if he's just walking down the street.

[Jedi Master]  
Hold. Don't attack.

A tense moment passes, the Jedi holding the gaze of this Sith.. He doesn't move, only casually stands his ground.

Finally, with breath held, several Jedi charge at him.

[Jedi Master]  
No! Wait!

The figure gives a small wave of his free hand, a tiny gesture, and the charging Jedi are sent flying back, sprawling and skidding across the marble floors.

[Sith Lord]  
I'm disappointed. I expected more of the mighty Jedi.

More Jedi come at him. This time the Sith remains still until they are almost upon him, then whips into action. Using Form IV, Ataru, his movements are lightning-fast, aggressive and agile, relying on his ability to move quickly, managing to cut down the Jedi in moments.

[Sith Lord]  
Pathetic.

He holds up a hand and unleashes a field of lightning into the Jedi gathered. They try to block it to no avail, and soon all fall to their knees, smouldering and rolling over.

[Sith Lord  
You've been given thousands of years to prepare for this day, and all you did was languish in this… cradle, believing you were safe, that we were gone. You blinded yourselves to reality.

We see a Sith Imperial gunship crash through the walls of the temple, sending rubble and Jedi flying.

[Sith Lord]  
And now (The doors to the gunship open, but are kept dark) You will suffer for that mistake.

A figure behind him, inside the gunship ignites a Red Lightsaber. A moment later, more and more lightsabers ignite from inside. There are dozens of Sith inside of the ship.

[Sith Lord]  
We have returned.

Cut to black.

 **INT – The Endar Spire**

A white door slides open in the transition between scenes, and Shay walks in We see Bastila sitting at a desk, who looks up at Shay and smiles.

[Shay]  
You called for me?

[Bastila]  
Yes, yes. (Motions to chair opposite her] Come in, sit. (Shay complies) Since you'll be serving aboard with me, I wanted to ask you a few questions about yourself. Nothing serious.

[Shay]  
Oh, alright. (Narrows his eyes) Though you have my service record, don't you? I doubt I can tell you much more than that will.

[Bastila]  
(Nods) I could probably learn more from that than from you, but I prefer to ask people myself.

[Shay]  
(Shrugs) Alright. Go ahead.

[Bastila]  
Okay, we'll start simple enough. Where were you born?

[Shay]  
(Smiles) Nal Shaddaa. I'm a Hutt, can't you tell?

[Bastila]  
(Rolls eyes and stands) Fine, if you won't answ-

[Shay]  
(Holds up a hand to keep her to sit down again) Wait, wait. Just a joke. I'm from Mygeeto, a distant Outer Rim territory.

[Bastila]  
(Sitting down again) Very well. Why did you join the Republic?

[Shay]  
The Mandalorians happened. They declared war on the Republic and, since Mygeeto was rich in resources and credits, they… they attacked us first. (Looking away) Those animals killed us all, even when we offered no resistance. We were a bunch of bankers, but they didn't care. (Tone grows dark) I buried everyone I ever knew. I joined up with the Republic the next day.

[Bastila]  
For revenge?

[Shay]  
Yeah. I… I didn't want my home back. I wanted to take theirs. I wanted to kill them for what they did, to make them suffer as I had suffered. (Shakes his head and looks back up) I'm told that I killed hundreds of Mandalorians. Even if it had been thousands, I wouldn't have been satisfied.

 **INT – Inside the Jedi Temple  
** Large overview shot of the fighting in the temple. Red and blue lightsabers clash, Jedi fall. Lightning can be seen cast on the battlefield. There are more than twice as many Jedi than Sith, but more and more of them continue to fall by the dozens. A grenade falsl at the feet of them, and they are blasted away, only for the Sith to leap through the smoke and fall upon them, blades cutting through the fallen and up to engage those still on their feet.

Camera cuts to the Sith Lord. Dozens of Jedi lay behind him as he moves forward and into the council chambers. There stands a single, lone figure with a green lightsaber, shining in the darkness.

[Sith Lord]  
Master Leneer. I didn't expect to see you here.

[Leneer]  
They always needed someone to hold down the fort. Something it seems I've failed at.

[Sith Lord]  
We're looking for Shan. Give her over to us, and I'll let you run.

[Leneer]  
Run to where? And for how long? How long until you consider me a threat again? (Takes a deep sigh and assumes a battle stance) Do your worst, my friend.

A beat passes in thick, heavy silence, the sounds of distant battle the only noise. Finally, the Sith Lord ignites his Lightsaber and jumps over the Master, narrowly knocked out of the way, their lightsabers clashing. It's dark in the chambers, so Leneer's face is lit up by green light, while the Sith's is red.

They engage in an intense lightsaber duel, their blades flashing and clashing. Leneer is fast and agile, while the Sith Lord is slower, but his attacks made Leneer stagger with every move. The Sith kicks him in the chest, sending him flying back and over one of the Council chairs.

 **INT – The Endar Spire  
** Opening her mouth to ask another question of Shay, Bastila falters a moment. Shay raises an eyebrow at her, and she falls back in her chair.

[Shay]  
Bastila? Are you okay?

[Bastila]  
I… I…

Shay rushes over to her side, jumping over the table in the process, feeling her for any signs of wounds.

[Shay]  
Hey, hey, stay with me damnit. What's going on?

Bastila looks over to Shay, meet his eyes.

[Bastila]  
I… my master is in danger.

 **INT – Inside the Jedi Temple**

Leneer recovers just in time to roll out of the way of the Sith's finishing blow, reigniting his lightsaber. Charging at the Sith Lord, Leneer unleashes a flurry of attacks upon him, pushing back the Sith Lord, who tries to counter attack and rolls to narrowly avoid losing his head.

Leneer slams the hilt of his saber into the Sith Lord, stumbling him, and it almost seems as if he will win. He lunges forward, stabbing. The Sith Lord, having planned this, knocks the Jedi's lightsaber from his hand and stabs Leneer through the chest.

 **INT – The Endar Spire**

Bastila falls from her seat, and Shay narrowly catches her before she crashing into the ground. He lays her down, checking her pulse.

[Shay]  
Damnit. Stay with me. (Pulls out his communicator) Medbay, this is McKendrick. Bastila just fell unconscious in the conference room. (Shakes his head) No, I don't know why. Just hurry up and get down here. (Tosses the communicator) Come on, come on.

 **INT – Inside the Jedi Temple**

The Jedi of the Temple lay dead. The Sith Lord stands over them, arms folded impatiently as he awaits. The Jedi are being stacked in a pile, and it's obvious that he's waiting on something. An officer approaches.

[Imperial Officer]  
Sir, we've done a double sweep of the Temple. Over two-hundred Jedi, all accounted for.

[Sith Lord]  
And?

[Officer]  
A-and we haven't seen a trace of her. (Cowers away slightly) I-I've ordered the men to search again, but the sensors aren't showing any life signatures. But we'll keep searching, as long as it-

[Sith Lord]  
(Holds up a hand) No. If you haven't found her yet… she's not here. I would feel it. Captain?

[Officer]  
Y-yes sir?

[Sith Lord]  
Expand your search to the entire galaxy. Find her, find Bastila. And bring me her head.

[Officer]  
At once. (Salutes and runs off)

[Sith Lord]  
(Looks back to the pile of the dead) She can't run forever. Even if we have to burn down the entire galaxy to find her, we will


	3. Endar Spire

**INT – Dream  
** We see a scene that's blurry and unfocused, fragmented. It's of Bastila, fighting a Sith with a red lightsaber, while she has a single, green blade. A short, furious battle ensues, ending when she cuts off his hand and gives a single, definitive slash, bringing him down. The camera pans slightly, and we see that several more Jedi are coming up behind her.

 **INT – The Endar Spire – Crew Quarters  
** We see Shay awaken suddenly, sweat upon his brow, breathing heavy and hard. Alarms and gunfire blare in the distance.

[Voice over alarm system]  
Ship defenses up! All hands to your battle stations!

He jumps up, grabbing his rifle from the locker next to his bed, pulling on a combat jacket and sprinting towards the battle as he loads the rifle.

[Shay]  
What's happened? What's going on?

[Republic Soldier]  
I don't know! I woke up with the alarm!

[Soldier #2]  
I heard gunfire!

[Soldier #3]  
Head up to the bridge, now!

The scene is chaotic, dozens of people are running, a fire is breaking out, people are trampling one another in the chaos. It's clear that they're off guard and no one knows what they're doing.

A loud gunshot is heard, and the man in front of Shay falls, revealing an Imperial soldier standing there. He fires, hitting the man next to Shay, who draws a pistol and puts him down before he can fire again.

The next room is a viewport, with a large window leading to the outside. You can see a Sith Warship, looming over the ship. Fighters strafe outside the window, firing at the ship. With the bolts strike, the lights go out.

 **INT – The Endar Spire – Hangar  
** A pitch black room is the focus, until a yellow lightsaber ignites, completing the scene transition. The light illuminates Bastila and several Republic soldiers escorting her. The lighting takes on a red tone, emergency lights flickering to life, only the yellow of her lightsaber battling back the red and darkness.

There are Imperial soldiers in the hangar, but they pose little threat before her, quickly and elegantly hacking them apart. It's important that her movements are smooth and elegant, as a double-bladed Lightsaber user. Her moves are incredible; doing quick slashes to deal with entire squads in moments. She's a highly trained Jedi, a valuable asset to the Republic, and it's obvious why. An entire Hangar is cleared in seconds.

[Soldier]  
They got here first. (The ships are a smouldering wreck) We need another way out of here.

[Bastila]  
To the escape pods, then. (Glances over her shoulder to see Imperial troops behind them) Quickly.

Their group goes running into another hallway off the side of the hangar.

 **INT – The Endar Spire – Bridge  
** Camera cuts to Shay, reloading his rifle as he rushes to a door. Behind him lay a dozen dead Imperials. He's clearly a highly trained and experienced soldier.

He enters through the door, and several blasters are pointed at him instantly, but are lowered when they see him.

[Shay]  
Friendly, friendly!

[Carth]  
Didn't think there was anyone but us left on the ship. Anyone else come with you?

[Shay]  
No, they… Sith.

[Carth]  
Damn it all. The enemy's knocked out the ship's engines, primary life support, and weapons systems. Protocol is to evacuate. Come on, we're going to be fighting our way to the escape pods.

The fighting inside of the ship is fast and furious, tight quarters the whole way with ambushes around the corner. Gunfire erupts, and soon the last of the Imperials fall, but so do several Republic soldiers. Soon enough, it's just Carth and Shay.

[Carth]  
I hope you're as good a shot as everyone says.

[Shay]  
Me too. Now, come on.

 **INT – The Endar Spire – Escape Pods  
** We see two Imperial soldiers standing guard over the escape pods, rifles in hand, one talking on his communicator.

[Imperial Soldier]  
(On his communicator) Yessir. If they come this way, we'll stop 'em. (Putting it down) Not bloody likely. There are a thousand of us onboard. If no one's here yet, there won't be any.

A light haze moves behind them, and a woman turns off her cloaking device. She has short dark hair, nearly bald, wearing special operations armour, looking almost Manadlorian, dark and grey. The two men don['t see her, and she has a blaster raised. She takes one out, and then the other one before they can react.

[Woman, nicknamed Scorch]  
Idiots. (Raises communicator) Room's all clear ma'am.

The door opens, and Bastila's team comes running inside.

[Bastila]  
Good work. Come on, everyone inside!

[Scorch]  
I'll stay behind ma'am. If any other soldiers come this way, and the Imperials come to investigate where these two went…

[Bastila]  
It's your right if you want to. But once they realize I'm not here, they'll just shoot the ship out of orbit.

[Scorch]  
Affirmative. Don't worry; I'll get off before then. See you planetside, ma'am.

[Bastila]  
Then may the Force be with you.

They enter into the escape pod, and soon it fires off. Scorch turns back to the room, drawing a rifle.

[Scorch]  
Bring it on.

 **INT – The Endar Spire – Hallway  
** We cut to Shay and Carth, who are both in cover and under attack. Carth wields two blasters, while Shay holds an assault rifle. Ducking behind cover, Shay presses a button on a grenade and silently counts to three before throwing it, destroying the Imperial squad.

[Carth]  
Come on, we have to go, now!

They sprint towards the next room as more Imperials pour through. Shasy presses a button on the door once they're in the next room, closing it. He shoots the panel once and continues running.

[Carth]  
You think that will stop them?

[Shay]  
I don't know, but it's worth a try. Come on.

They reach a hallway, with a path ahead of them and to their left.

[Carth]  
To the left! Come on, we're almost there.

The door in the hallway ahead of them opens, and more soldiers come through. Shay and Carth keep running to the left, Imperials in pursuit. They go into the room with the escape pods, where Scorch stands. She almost fires, but lowers her rifle once she sees them.

[Scorch]  
For the love of- I almost blew you two to pieces. Next t-

[Shay]  
They're right behind us! Get to cover!

She quiets immediately and does as asked. A moment later the soldiers are upon them, only to have the tables turned as the soldiers cut them down. Scorch is wielding some kind of automatic rifle, likely a Submachine Gun, and all together they chew through the soldiers.

[Scorch]  
Come on, you two are probably the last that are getting here.

They comply, getting into the escape pod and firing it off. Behind them, we see the Endar Spire being fired upon by the Sith Warship, and it begins to fall out of orbit. The escape pod is soon in the atmosphere, fire around it. We see people's ships/speeders ducking out of it's way, and it crashes right into a skyscraper, sending it off course and far below, into the depths of the city.

The camera cuts to the inside as they crash into the ground. Scorch has a blood lip from the fall, but Shay, by far, took it the worst. He's unconscious and not moving, blood seeping from his forehead.

[Scorch]  
Ooh, looks like this kid took it bad. (Releases her harness and stands to go investigate him) Not good. Looks like he hit his head hard. Cracked a skull.

[Carth]  
(Releasing his harness) Is he going to make it?

[Scorch]  
(Shakes her head a little) I don't know. We have to get him out of here before we can do anything about it though. (Releases his harness) Come on kid, stay with us.

Scorch picks him up, and Carth offers to hold him, picking him up and hoisting him over his shoulders.

[Carth]  
Come on, let's get out of here. Quickly.

Scorch nods and upholsters her rifle.


End file.
